


Best Intentions

by RavenGirl42



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CEO Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, Husbands, M/M, Misunderstandings, Protective Merlin (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:14:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29880282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenGirl42/pseuds/RavenGirl42
Summary: Arthur pushed the front door closed behind him and leaned against it, a white grip on his laptop bag, eyes red and screwed shut. He heard Merlin appear from the kitchen. Arthur couldn’t speak – couldn’t even meet his husband’s eyes. He looked at the ceiling, mouth squeezed tight, holding it all in.Merlin eased Arthur’s bag from him, then drew him into his arms. Arthur’s breath heaved as he sunk his head onto Merlin’s shoulder. They stood locked together and Merlin felt Arthur silently shuddering, until he managed to force himself to stop, with deep breaths.Merlin kissed his forehead. “What happened, love?”Arthur took over as CEO of Pendragon Enterprises a year ago. When he starts having problems at work, Merlin hates seeing him upset and decides he should do something about it - but best intentions don't always lead to the best results.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 88
Collections: Merlin Bingo





	Best Intentions

**Author's Note:**

> For my Merlin Bingo square A5 'Touching Foreheads'

* * *

Arthur pushed the front door closed behind him and leaned against it, a white grip on his laptop bag, eyes red and screwed shut. He heard Merlin appear from the kitchen. Arthur couldn’t speak – couldn’t even meet his husband’s eyes. He looked at the ceiling, mouth squeezed tight, holding it all in. 

Merlin eased Arthur’s bag from him, then drew him into his arms. Arthur’s breath heaved as he sunk his head onto Merlin’s shoulder. They stood locked together and Merlin felt Arthur silently shuddering, until he managed to force himself to stop, with deep breaths. 

Merlin kissed his forehead. “What happened, love?” 

“I’m just so fucking useless at this impossible job. I’ve tried so hard this past year; I thought we were doing all the right things. But apparently no one trusts me and Pendragon Enterprises is no better a place to work under me than it was under my bastard of a father. I knew everything wouldn’t change right away, but I thought the staff survey would show some difference – that some things would have improved.” 

“Oh Arthur,” Merlin held him, wrapping his arms firmly around him. Merlin knew how hard Arthur had been working to change the company culture since he became CEO after his father died. But the organisation was full of people who’d spent twenty years being encouraged to act as ruthlessly as Uther Pendragon. Change was never going to be quick. 

“I feel like quitting and starting my own firm, hiring people who value the things that I do,” Arthur admitted shakily. “Except I can’t. This is my family business. I have a duty to the people who work for us, but I don’t know how to make them believe it’s worth changing – worth doing things in an honourable way.”

Merlin cupped Arthur’s face in his hands and touched their foreheads together, trying to suffuse him with love and strength. “You will. You will find a way. You are going to be a great CEO and Pendragon Enterprises will be better for it, as will everyone it touches. You are making a difference.” Merlin’s voice carried absolute conviction. 

Arthur looked away again. Merlin understood it for the denial it was. He pressed their foreheads together again, determined to make his husband see what he saw in him. His fingers were gentle, his voice soft but vehement. “You may not feel it now, but I know you believe in what you’re doing, and I know you believe that you can do it. You’re frustrated and disappointed not to have achieved everything you want to - yet. But you won’t give up. You will find a way – it’s what you always do.” 

Merlin was proud that he was Arthur’s biggest ally. No one who actually worked for Pendragon Enterprises had stood by him so loyally or supported him so fiercely, since he became Chief Executive. 

The tension in Arthur’s jaw eased and his chest loosened a little. Seeing the signs, Merlin pressed his body against his husband, grounding him with the touch from shoulder to knee, coaxing him with a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. 

“Go and have a shower, love. You’ll feel better out of those work clothes. I’ll get us some food. Then I can take care of you.” Merlin said, pressing his advantage.

Arthur’s arms circled Merlin’s waist. “Or we could both take a shower and I could take care of you” he murmured, his lips brushing the shell of Merlin’s sensitive ear. He always lost himself best when he was taking Merlin apart.

“Mmmmm. Or that,” Merlin agreed. He took Arthur’s hand and led him upstairs. 

\-----------

Arthur’s love-making had been as indulgent as always. Merlin had tried to be even more responsive than usual, showing his husband how good he was making him feel, knowing Arthur would lose himself in it more if he could see Merlin coming apart. But he wasn’t sure that Arthur had been completely with him. 

Merlin dressed and headed downstairs. Arthur was sitting at the kitchen table, the light from his laptop casting blueish shadows over the tight frown on his face. Merlin sighed. So much for helping him forget his work. He stepped behind Arthur, wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled his neck. Arthur didn’t acknowledge him. 

Merlin started reading the screen. It looked like comments from the survey. Arthur was staring at several remarks where people were complaining that he had sent vindictive emails, which criticised and undermined people, but that he’d never speak with them about the issues to their faces. 

Merlin pointed at one of the comments, “This doesn’t sound like you, Arthur. I would have thought you always make a point of talking issues through, face to face? You always do the right thing. You wouldn’t avoid it normally, even if it’s awkward?” 

“I thought so too,” Arthur replied. “I certainly try to. But maybe when I’m under pressure or frustrated that comes across badly in emails without me realising. I guess I need to be much more careful of my tone.” 

Merlin wondered whether this could have anything to do with Arthur’s uncle, Agravaine de Bois, now Chair of the Board. Merlin was pretty sure that Agravaine didn’t share Arthur’s goals for the company, but Arthur saw him as a haven of familial support. 

Merlin didn’t mention it though. The last thing either of them needed was another argument about Agravaine. Instead he said, “Please close your laptop and come and eat. You need to stop. It will feel better when you’ve had some food, and we’ve snuggled on the sofa and watched mindless action films.” He pulled Arthur up away from the table and pushed him towards the sitting room, whilst he went to reheat them some food. 

\---------------

They talked more about what might be going on over the next few evenings, without getting anywhere. Merlin had tentatively brought up Agravaine, and Arthur had angrily shut him down, pointing out that as Chair of the Board he had little contact with the employees. Arthur even suggested Merlin was jealous that he had someone else to whom he could go for advice and support. Merlin had let it go, and had tried not to show how hurt it made him feel. 

He’d changed tack, realising talking about Agravaine wasn’t getting him anywhere. “Maybe you could ask Leon about it?” Merlin suggested. Leon Knight was head of IT and had been with the company for a long time. Of the senior team left over from his father’s time, Leon had taken to Arthur and his ideas to improve the company with the most enthusiasm. Arthur had dismissed the idea though, saying that he needed to stop looking for excuses or conspiracies and accept this is what people thought of him and just try harder. 

Merlin had just held him then, feeling the anxiety in his husband’s body, as Arthur ruthlessly pulled himself in and steeled himself to face up to what he saw as his failure. Merlin answered Arthur’s forced bravery, with as much love and strength as he could muster, wanting his husband to know that as CEO he was already everything he ought to be and needed to be.

\--------------

Although Arthur stopped talking about it after that, the grim determination with which he went to work every morning and his cold exhaustion when he came home, were testament that he was still consumed by it. Merlin was grateful that his own consultancy work wasn’t requiring him to travel much at the moment and he was able to ground Arthur in a cocoon of domestic care and attention, each evening. 

But after a week, without much change, Merlin decided to do something. He never was one to sit around and wait for things to play out. 

“I’ve got a clear diary today, love. What if I come and meet you at the office and we go out for lunch?” he suggested. Arthur looked at him and tried to smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes and Merlin’s heart ached. 

“That sounds nice but I doubt I can get away,” he replied. 

Merlin grinned, failing to hide how pleased he was with himself. “Actually I spoke to Mordred yesterday and it seems your PA has miraculously cleared your diary from 12.30 to 2pm, which perfectly coincides with the reservation I have made us at that cosy Italian place you like.” 

Arthur smiled gratefully at him. “It seems like you and Mordred have it all worked out. Thank you, that sounds lovely actually.” For the first time in ages, Arthur’s lips lingered as he kissed Merlin goodbye. 

\------------------

Once Arthur had left, Merlin started to enact his plan. He called the switchboard at Pendragon Enterprises and asked for Leon Knight. Merlin and Leon had gotten to know each other a bit over the past year, as Arthur had made an effort to build up his work relationships and Merlin had occasionally joined them for drinks after work. He knew Leon was sympathetic to the difficulties Arthur had with the Board and didn’t have much time for Agravaine. 

“Merlin. This is unexpected,” Leon said as he picked up the call. “How are you?”

“I’m good Leon. How are you and your family? All well I hope?”

“Yeah we’re all good - Tammy started school this term, so that’s the big excitement in the Knight household.” 

“Wow. I can’t believe that.” Merlin paused, then trying for a light tone, he asked, “Have you noticed Arthur’s feeling the pressure a bit at the moment? I wondered if he’s spoken to you about it at all?”

“I hadn’t really noticed, but you know he doesn’t let much show at work,” Leon replied. “Is something up?” 

Merlin paused, knowing he was about to sound like a conspiracy theorist. But he could see no other way so he launched in. He explained to Leon about the staff survey and the comments about Arthur sending emails that seemed so out of character and which had undermined people’s trust in him. 

“I know this is going to sound crazy but I just wondered whether someone has hacked his emails and is sending things that looked like they come from him or something. I thought as Head of IT you could maybe check it out? But please don’t tell Arthur - he’d never agree to ask you to do this.”

Leon sighed, “I’m not meant to look at individual’s email accounts, but I’ll see what I can do. Give me an hour or two. I’ll call you back.”

\--------------------

It was 11.30 by the time Leon called him back, buzzing with what he’d found. “No one has hacked Arthur’s email account. Arthur is meticulous about his online security. But something is wrong. Arthur shared the survey results with us last week, so I looked through the comments and the things people were saying about him didn’t ring true. So I looked at his PA, Mordred’s emails. 

“Mordred has been sending occasional emails to people, saying that Arthur has asked him to let them know that he’s disappointed in them in one way or another and that he doesn’t want to discuss it with them, just wants them to ‘get their arses in gear’ and phrases like that. Some of the things in the emails are really personal and cruel - I don’t know how anyone could think it was Arthur. Sometimes the person has replied to Mordred, asking for an appointment to talk about it with Arthur. Mordred has replied saying he thinks it’s really unfair of Arthur, but he’s been told to say that Arthur doesn’t want to waste his time speaking to them.”

“Oh shit,” Merlin groaned, realising how hurt Arthur was going to be by Mordred’s betrayal, given that Arthur had taken the young man under his wing. “Why would Mordred do that?” 

“I don’t know,” Leon replied. “I really don’t know.” 

“I guess I need to talk to Arthur. I’m about to come into the office to meet him for lunch. Can you print me off a few examples of the emails and meet me in reception?”

Leon agreed. Merlin ended the call, grabbed his things and headed out the door. All the way into town Merlin chewed his bottom lip, as he worried over how he was going to tell Arthur about what Mordred had done and how terrible it was going to make Arthur feel. 

As he thought about it, he started to wonder about not telling Arthur at all and speaking to Mordred himself. He could spare Arthur the hurt, and get to give the traitor a piece of his mind. Merlin found the idea growing on him. He would be doing it for Arthur, after all.

When he arrived at the huge, glass-plated office building, Leon was waiting for him in the reception atrium. He handed him an envelope with the printed emails inside. “It’s been going on for the past six months,” he said. 

Merlin thanked Leon, then asked him to get Mordred to come down to reception. Leon looked at him sceptically. “Are you planning to speak to Mordred yourself?” 

Merlin dampened his smouldering indignation towards Mordred, hiding it with a reassuring smile. “No. No. I just want to see him before I tell Arthur.”

“Okay. Because, if it was any of us who work here, Arthur wouldn’t take kindly to us interfering in his responsibility to his employees.”

Merlin hummed, and tried his reassuring smile again, “Just ask him to come down. Please?”

Leon sighed and went to make the call, then headed back upstairs. 

Merlin waited, bristling with outrage. At least it was only Mordred who had betrayed him, not his last remaining family member. Merlin didn’t like Agravaine but for Arthur’s sake he was relieved to have been wrong about him. 

When Mordred came into reception, Merlin waved him over to the sofas in the corner, where he was waiting for him, hoping they could be as private as possible. 

“Hello Mr Emrys. How nice to see you,” Mordred greeted him. “It was such a good idea of yours to take Arthur for lunch today. He seems to be having a tough time at the moment and I worry about him. I try to help, but there’s only so much I can do.”

The two-faced cheek of the young man, pretending to care about the person he was secretly trying to ruin, was more than Merlin could take. His anger boiled over. “How can you say that?” he seethed, eyes burning right through Mordred’s mock innocence. “I know what you’ve been doing. You’ve been sending emails saying they are from Arthur, turning people against him.” 

Something flashed across Mordred’s face but he quickly rearranged it into innocent surprise. “I don’t understand. What do you mean?” he asked. 

“This!” hissed Merlin, thrusting the envelope of evidence into Mordred’s hands. The younger man opened it carefully. As he began to look at the contents, his face went white. 

“Why?” Merlin demanded. “Why would you do this? Arthur’s been good to you.” 

Mordred cast around in panic, not meeting Merlin’s eyes. Finally he pleaded, “Don’t tell Arthur. It wasn’t my fault. Mr du Bois made me do it. He said Arthur was bad for the company and would be gone soon, and he’d give me a promotion if I helped him.”

“Arthur, bad for the company?” Merlin was trembling with rage now and his voice got louder. 

“Ssh. Don’t shout,” Mordred cautioned, casting around and seeing people were turning to look at them. 

“I’ll shout at you, you good for nothing, rat. You deserve it,” Merlin barked, not caring if everyone was staring. He snatched the envelope of emails back. “How dare you hurt my husband like that. You may as well leave right now, because you’re going to be fired before the end of the day. They’ll send you any personal stuff you’ve left on your desk.” 

By now, everyone in the area was frozen in shock at the commotion, in the usually serene reception. A phone was ringing unanswered. All eyes were trained on Merlin and Mordred and more people were appearing on the staircase that snaked up through the building.

Mordred looked around him, not sure what to do, so Merlin clarified for him, “Get out!!” he screeched. Mordred locked eyes with Merlin, their mutual fury mirror-images of each other. Finally, with an attempt at dignity, he turned and stormed out of the building. 

Merlin watched in satisfaction, a triumphant expression on his face. But it was short-lived, as he took in all of Arthur’s employees staring at him in shock, and Arthur himself stalking towards him, a completely fake smile stretched uglily under eyes dark with anger. 

Aware of the half his staff watching them, Arthur greeted his husband with the most cursory peck on the cheek, sarcasm dripping from his words. “Shall we go somewhere quieter, dear. You seem to be distracting people here.” 

He grabbed Merlin’s upper arm and dragged him into a small room off the main reception, slamming the door behind them. “So _Mer_ lin, do you want to tell me exactly why you were causing a huge scene in the entrance area of my office and why my PA was striding out of the building looking like he was going to murder someone?” 

Merlin looked in dismay at the repressed rage rippling through Arthur’s body. Hoping it would make everything right, he pushed the envelope of emails over to him, “Please know I’ve only done this because I hate seeing you hurting.” 

Arthur took it and silently started reading the first email. Merlin saw a flicker of something - shock? hurt? Almost immediately it was replaced with the mask Arthur used when he knew people were scrutinising his reactions: it gave nothing away, even to Merlin. 

Merlin fidgeted and waited as Arthur studied each page. Finally he looked at Merlin, expression still inscrutable. “And what did you say to Mordred?” he asked. 

“I told him he would be fired by the end of the day, so he may as well leave now. I don’t think you’re going to see him again,” Merlin whispered reluctantly, not able to meet Arthur’s eyes.

When Arthur spoke, his voice was laced with his best client-facing politeness. “If you’ll forgive me, I think we’d best forgo our lunch. Perhaps you should go home.” 

Merlin’s heart sank. This was much worse than shouting. Merlin stepped towards him, but Arthur turned away, saying coldly, “Get out Merlin.”

\-----------------

Merlin’s phone rang as he was opening the front door. Heart racing he grabbed it from his jacket pocket, but it wasn’t Arthur. 

“Hello Leon,” he sighed, as he picked up. 

“Hey,” said Leon. “How did it go? I gather Mordred has gone and isn’t expected back. Arthur told me to delete his email account. That’s good isn’t it? Was Arthur pleased that you’d worked out what was happening?”

“I don’t know,” Merlin sighed. “I gave him the emails to read. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking and when he’d read them he just told me to go home.

“What’s worse, Mordred told me that Agravaine had made him do it, but I sent Mordred away and now there’s nothing to show that Agravaine is behind it. Arthur is hardly in a mood to take my word for it. You don’t think there’s any evidence in Mordred’s emails between him and Agravaine do you?”

“I think I would have noticed when I was looking this morning. I’ll see if I can find anything but I don’t think there’s much chance,” Leon replied.

“Thanks. I appreciate it. I hope I’m not going to get you in trouble too. Arthur’s going to work out where I got those emails from.”

“I know he will. I’m going to go and apologise to him now. I’ll say it was my own decision though, based on looking at the survey results he sent through to me. I’ll say you knew about it but you didn’t pressure me into doing it. I’m sure we’ll sort it out between us. He knows he can rely on me.”

_He’s meant to be able to rely on me_ , Merlin thought.

\------------------

Merlin spent the rest of the day trying to do a bit of his own work, but mostly checking and rechecking his phone or any message from Arthur. His emotions see-sawed all afternoon, trying to find the elusive balancing point where his good intentions cancelled out Arthur’s anger. He hoped Arthur might have already found that equilibrium for them. Maybe he would come home grateful to have had Mordred exposed and ready to forgive.

Around 7pm Arthur texted Merlin: _Going out for dinner with Agravaine. Not sure when I’ll be back._

This particular flavour of disaster hadn’t occurred to Merlin during all his afternoon of worrying. Normally when Arthur had a difficult situation at work, he came home and Merlin helped him think it through. Now Merlin was shut out and instead Arthur was, unknowingly, confiding in the very person who had masterminded the whole treachery. 

Arthur came in about 9pm, closed the front door behind him, leaned against it and let his head thud back as he stared at the ceiling. Merlin tentatively headed towards him.

Arthur took a deep breath and pushed off from the door. He organised his face to be neutral and reasonable and tried to smile, though it was more of a grimace. “I’m sorry I’m late back. I really needed to go through everything that happened with Agravaine and he offered to talk over dinner. I hope the rest of your day’s been okay?”

“No it hasn’t. Of course it hasn’t,” Merlin sniffed wretchedly. “I can’t do this Arthur. I can’t pretend that nothing’s happened and play at acting normally. Please don’t shut me out like this.” 

Arthur skirted round the hand Merlin reached out to him and headed into the sitting room. Merlin followed. “Please let me explain,” he begged. 

Arthur raised his eyebrows, cocked his head sceptically and indicated Merlin should speak. 

“I did it for you Arthur. I always do everything for you. I wanted so much to make it better for you - I hate seeing you hurting like you were,” Merlin stuttered.

Arthur pinched his nose. “That’s ironic because how I was hurting then, is nothing compared to how I’m hurting now. You went behind my back. You, who I’m meant to be able to trust beyond everyone. You involved one of my senior staff in doing something completely outside company policy. You caused a huge scene in the most public area of the office. You don’t even work for the company and yet you took it upon yourself to fire my personal assistant and expel them from the building, before I even knew what had happened. Did you not think that I would want to confront Mordred myself, decide how to deal with him? What do you think it looks like when people see the boss’s husband coming in to deal with his problems with his staff? I can’t believe what you’ve done.”

Merlin’s indignation rose to the surface. Arthur wasn’t being fair, Merlin thought. He wasn’t recognising why he’d done what he had. “And what was I supposed to do?” Merlin exploded. “What would have happened if I’d gone to you and said I was suspicious? You were so determined to self-flagellate over that survey, you’d have refused to look for anything else apart from your own failings and you’d never have known you had a traitor right beside you.”

Arthur’s voice was like cold steel, “You are the traitor right beside me! You said you believe in me, but you don’t even trust me to deal with my own PA.”

“It’s not just him,” Merlin blurted out. “It was Agravaine. He was behind it. Mordred told me.”

Arthur flicked from cold to white hot, “Don’t start on Agravaine again! I have just spent most of this evening defending you to him. He is outraged at what you’ve done and is telling me I should never speak with you about Pendragon Enterprises again. He even suggested that you were deliberately trying to undermine me with my employees. I told him that you unquestionably meant no harm to the company or me; that you were right about Mordred; and most importantly, no one will ever make me doubt the motives of the man who loves me. So don’t start bringing my Uncle into it. Your accusations against him are just as baseless as his against you.”

Merlin stared at him in shock. Arthur was clearly still furious, but all Merlin’s self-righteous ire melted in the face of Arthur’s admissions about what he had told Agravaine – that despite his anger he believed in Merlin and had defended him. Tentatively, he reached out to Arthur and cautiously Arthur pulled him into his arms. 

They stood together, foreheads touching, limbs wrapped around each other. All their words were finished. Silently they embraced, Merlin with tears sliding down his cheeks and Arthur breathing deeply to hold his back.

\-----------------------

They slept in the same room that night, though both were uncharacteristically wedded to their own sides of the bed. Merlin lay in rigid isolation, certain that Arthur was just as unable to sleep as him. Eventually he must have drifted off because when he woke up Arthur’s side of the bed was cold. 

Downstairs there was a note from Arthur saying he’d had to go in early and there was coffee in the pot. It was signed with a single x. Merlin’s heart lifted a little - he knew Arthur: the fact that Arthur had avoided him this morning told him he still wasn’t forgiven, but the coffee and the note with its kiss, said that Arthur wanted them to fix this. With that olive branch, Merlin was surprised how well he managed to focus on his work, in between checking his phone every five minutes for a message that never came.

To Merlin’s surprise, about 3pm he heard the key in the front door. Arthur never left work this early. Apprehensively, he got up from his desk and went to meet him. He was surprised to be pulled into a hug and given a warm kiss on the end of his nose. Tentatively he hugged back. 

“I’ve got something to show you,” Arthur said as he led him into the sitting room. He handed Merlin a large envelope. Inside Merlin saw transcripts from an online chat app, between Agravaine and Mordred. All the evidence of Agravaine’s treachery was there in black and white. 

“Leon brought me these first thing this morning,” Arthur explained. “He said he’d found an app on both their computers even though it’s not on the list of approved company software. He hacked in and found all this. He said it was his idea but …?” Arthur looked questioningly at Merlin. 

Merlin looked away, but sensing this time he was already forgiven he nodded cautiously. 

“I thought so,” Arthur said, a little glint in his eyes. 

“In my defence,” Merlin replied, “I talked to Leon about it before you came home last night and explained how hurtful my interfering in your work felt for you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think it through – I couldn’t think of any other options so I just did what felt right. I didn’t think through how badly it could turn out.”

“I wish you had talked to me, shared what you knew with me and rather than making decisions about my company for me. We are better together,” Arthur said. Then almost sheepishly he continued, “I was angry with myself though - that I’d been blind to what was going on; that I’d trusted someone I shouldn’t, two people as it turns out.”

Merlin recognised this was as much of an apology as would ever come and smiled softly at him. 

“However,” Arthur continued, voice stern but expression mischievous, “in the future I can’t have you interfering in my work when you’re not even part of the company.” 

Merlin’s face showed his confusion and it made Arthur laugh gently. Merlin’s heart skipped, seeing his husband’s eyes light up for the first time in days. He looked at Arthur expectantly.

“You see _Mer_ lin,” Arthur continued, “I was thinking, seeming as we can’t have you interfering when you’re not even part of the company, the best solution is for you to join Pendragon Enterprises.” 

“I’m not working for you, clotpole. The lengths you’ll go to so you can order me around,” Merlin exclaimed indignantly. “Anyway, I have my own business. I’m sought after - you know that - I turn clients away all the time.” 

“I do know that. Which is why I’m not suggesting you’re an employee. I think you should join our Board. You see, as of today our Chairman has unexpectedly resigned … “

“He has?” Merlin interrupted. “You moved fast.”

“I did,” Arthur confirmed. 

Merlin smiled. Of course Arthur would have been decisive once he had the proof in front of him. He might have been upset about Agravaine’s betrayal but his husband wouldn’t let that get in the way of him recognising and pressing the opportunity the situation had given him. 

“So as I was saying, because of our Chairman’s unexpected resignation we have a vacancy on the Board and I am going to recommend your appointment.” 

“I don’t think the other Directors are going to support you nominating your husband to join them,” Merlin countered. 

“Oh, I think they will. We are a family company and Agravaine was only there because he’s my Uncle. With him gone, it’s in line with the company tradition for him to be replaced by a member of my family and you are all the family I have left. Fortunately though, you are not just a pretty face. You are also a much sought after consultant with expertise which Pendragon Enterprises will greatly benefit from,” Arthur finished with a smug grin. 

Merlin saw why Arthur was pleased with himself. Put like that it was quite obvious that he should join the Board. Merlin was sometimes awed by his husband’s ability to find brilliant solutions to almost any problem. From a position on the Board he would be able to help Arthur spearhead the changes that were required, using his own considerable skills, which he knew Pendragon Enterprises needed. 

“That is actually quite brilliant,” Merlin admitted. 

He sidled up behind Arthur, arms snaking around his waist and sneaking under his shirt. “I’m thinking,” he murmured in Arthur’s ear, “if I’m on the Board, that makes me your boss, doesn’t it?” 

“It’s not like that _Mer_ lin,” Arthur huffed, pretending to try to wriggle free, but really grinding coquettishly against Merlin’s hips. 

“I think that’s exactly how it is,” Merlin said, spinning him round and pressing their lips together, licking insistently against the seam of Arthur’s mouth until he submitted, letting him push in. “And if I’m your boss, that means it’s your job to please me, young Pendragon, starting now. I know you’d like to do that, wouldn’t you? Show me how much you look up to me and how grateful you are?” 

Arthur started undoing the buttons on his husband’s shirt. “This is workplace harassment, idiot” he murmured looking up through his eyelashes, “I can see I’m going to have trouble with you, Mr Emrys, _sir_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This is my first story so I'd love to know what you think, if you feel like leaving a comment.


End file.
